The residents of Thropton are planning to mount a round the clock surveillance of the village, to try to identify a vandal who has become known locally as “The Turd Bandit”. For many weeks Thropton has been plagued by someone dropping excrement all over the place, many people have woken to find it on their doorsteps in the morning. One woman found it in the pocket of a pair of trousers that had been hanging on her washing line, another woman found it on an apple pie she had left to cool by an open window.  Representing Thropton neighborhood watch, Mr. Rennie Scotick said “at first it was suggested the mess was caused by people walking their dogs in the village, because all the country paths are closed due to foot and mouth, nobody has a dog big enough to drop one of these logs. We counted seventy two of them the other day and noticed they were all pointing west to east, then they were cleaned up, the next day we counted sixty five and they were all pointing north to south”. Locals are concerned that the antics of “The Turd Bandit” may have a detrimental effect on property values. A couple who had been to view a house for sale in Thropton left in disgust after finding a present the “bandit” had left on the dashboard when they returned to their car. Samples were taken by Police forensic experts who have concluded that all the excrement comes from one source, probably a well built male who also has a liking for peanuts. “We’ll be watching” said Mr. Scotick